Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Future Two

Back at the hotel, Li Xianzhou’s reaction was quite subtle.

Mingyue, holding her 10,000-character self-reflection punishment report, was still processing things as she went to her room to pack.

Oh my god.

Baoshan Hospital even requires a full 10,000-character self-reflection and incident report.

I trespassed into the City of the Wrongly Dead, and I only got a 10,000-character report?

...

Well then, I should trespass a few more times, haha.

Ming Erge smirked mischievously.

He took a nap during the day.

That night, the Yin-Yang Dao interns from various schools across Yuzhou District took their flights home.

As agreed, the Ghost Slayer Association sent back feedback on each school’s intern within a week.

Three days after returning to school,

Mingyue began preparing to arrange a gathering, pulling Ming Ye and Jun Weiran to sit at the same table, the three of them having a meal and talking things over.

On the balcony, Mingyue opened her phone, hovered her finger over the contacts list. After a moment, she decided she wasn’t quite ready to talk directly to the Wheel King, so she slid the screen and called Zhou Lu first.

Bai Linlang shook off her clothes and splashed water. With a splash, the water droplets hit Mingyue’s head.

“What’s wrong? Did you have an argument with your brother?”

“I saw you staring at the screen for so long without pressing any buttons.”

Mingyue puffed her cheeks like a goldfish: "No, no argument."

“I haven’t figured out what to say to my brother yet.”

“—Hello, hey Uncle, it’s me.” She picked up the receiver, and Zhou Lu’s steady, reliable voice came through.

Zhou Lu: "Young Master, please speak."Mingyue hesitated for a moment, "Uh, has my brother, the older brother, returned from his business trip these days?"

Zhou Lu: "…"

Nearby, Ming Ye, who was reading the Jinling Morning News like an elderly person, turned the page at the sound.

Zhou Lu: "The young master is quite busy, and it’s really not easy for him to turn around..."

Mingyue immediately laughed awkwardly into the phone: "Ah, I see. That’s really unfortunate. Never mind, never mind—"

Ming Ye glanced over coldly.

Zhou Lu smiled and immediately corrected himself: "…But the young master has been working overtime, and most of the matters in the Fengdu branch have been settled."

"The flight from two days ago has arrived in Jinling."

"He is now available to respond to the young master at any time."

Only then did Ming Ye look away.

Mingyue: "…"

Mingyue pinched her nose, cursing herself for being so pretentious. When she was younger, it was Ming Ye who taught her how to use a sanitary napkin. Now she was being so dramatic for no reason: "Great, I want to invite my brother to eat at the school. I'll pay for it."

"Just... invite him and Jun Weiran too."

"Uncle, if you could talk to my brother for me, I know he doesn't like Jun..." Before she could finish, the sound of Zhou Lu tearing paper came through the phone. Then, the familiar, cold voice came, like a cool rain against her face:

"Why are you calling Zhou Lu if you want to contact me?"

"Knowing I don’t like Jun Weiran and still trying to play matchmaker, just say what you want clearly."

"Also, when did you ever need to invite me to a meal? Is the Ming family poor enough to go bankrupt?"

Suddenly, Ming Erge, assaulted by this chilling voice: "…"

No, no, we’re not going bankrupt.

The two roommates, who were hanging clothes nearby, mimicked mouth movements in unison: "Wow, rich big brother, can we be friends?"

Mingyue: "…"Mingyue pouted at her two roommates, then quickly organized her words to explain, "No, no, brother, you can’t say that."

"I knew you didn’t like Jun Weiran, so I contacted Uncle Zhou for help."

Ming Ye coldly replied, "Just because I ask Uncle Zhou to help doesn’t mean I’ll like Jun Weiran."

... That actually makes a lot of sense.

Mingyue was speechless.

Ming Ye was fully aware of Mingyue's actions over the past month. Li Xianzhou wasn't just a "casual acquaintance" in the mortal realm; he was also "half of her guardian" in the academy, someone who had control over Mingyue’s whereabouts.

Ming Ye knew about everything Mingyue had done, like checking the Yin energy traces at the academy’s archives or her meeting with deceased relatives in Fengdu.

So, it wasn't hard to guess the hidden purpose behind the situation with Jun Weiran.

Ming Ye didn’t press his sister too much. Before Mingyue could come up with any more excuses, he spoke first:

"Go ahead, where do you want to meet?"

Mingyue thought about Jun Weiran’s somewhat tight financial situation and hesitated, "Brother, seriously."

"Let me pay for it." With your extravagant gold style, inviting Jun Weiran, that petty guy, would surely get him upset.

The next day at noon, the old shop at the entrance of Jin University, known for its duck blood and rice noodle soup.

The soup steamed with heat, the duck meat rich, tender, and the offal filled with duck broth. Bowls of it were served to the customers. The shop was small, and the two small private rooms looked like half-enclosed spaces.

People were bustling around.

Ming Ye, dressed in a business elite three-piece suit, sat in the corner, completely out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

Jun Weiran, with a tense expression, wore a student-style T-shirt.

In between the two of them sat Mingyue, who looked embarrassed.

The owner warmly brought over the rice noodle soup. Ming Ye thanked him coldly, drawing the attention of the nearby young girls.

The soup was placed on the table, but no one ate. An old, worn diary was still on the table, with Ming Dinghai’s handwriting—flowing, bold, and full of character.

Ming Ye even thoughtfully flipped through the chapters from 2008 or 2009 for Jun Weiran. The personal notes in the diary, so direct and revealing, felt almost like a punch to the heart."It’s impossible."

Jun Weiran firmly denied it, his fists clenched tightly.

"My father’s achievements cannot be denied by these few worthless pieces of paper!"

His voice was loud enough to startle Ming Ye, who quickly stood up and tightly shut the door of the private room.

Ming Ye let out a laugh. "Worthless paper?"

"Ming Dinghai is the highest-rated ghost-slayer in China in the past fifty years. This memoir records his nearly twenty years of experience, reflections, and skills. How many people have begged to see it but still haven’t? And you call it worthless paper?"

"Quite the face you have."

Mingyue wasn’t happy either. "Jun Ge, you know, I never lie to you."

"This is indeed Dad’s handwriting."

Jun Weiran completely ignored Mingyue, who was trying to smooth things over. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Ming Ye. "My father was also a well-known ghost-slayer from the last century. My Jun family isn’t some obscure name. Why is Ming Dinghai’s word the truth, and my father’s is not?"

"He has a memoir, and my family does too."

"Back when we helped suppress the chaos in the underworld, my Jun Yuanshan’s name was there too!"

This was bad.

It felt like a thunderclap.

Mingyue felt stuck. Her original intention was to simply get her brother and Jun Weiran to have a peaceful meal together, hoping they would get along and, after some fun, talk things out. She didn’t expect to have to clarify anything, at least not make her father carry the "suspected betrayal of a close friend" label.

Now, things had gone off-track. Jun Weiran had completely missed the point and was instead diving headfirst into the "proving his father’s name" trap.

What could she say now?

This obsession with reputation—it truly runs in the family.

Mingyue sighed. What’s so important about reputation? It could be destroyed or built up with such ease.

How could Jun Weiran not understand this?

Her brother really was strange.He’s usually cold as ice, but today he’s quick with the words and playing the troublemaker, not something he usually does on purpose.

...Mingyue just couldn’t understand how a brother might feel about his younger sister once having a crush on a certain guy.

Ming Ye gave a professional fake smile. "Yes, Jun Yuanshan is one of them."

"Jin University, Imperial University, Xiang University, and all the Ghost-Slayer Associations across the regions—each should have their names recognized."

"The restoration of the Yin-Yang world was a collective effort."

Jun Weiran gritted his teeth. "No."

"My father’s contributions are the greatest. He helped the underworld destroy so many rebellious souls."

"Why is it that only Ming Dinghai’s name is remembered?"

After saying that, he shook off Mingyue’s hand when she tried to grab his arm.

Ming Ye’s gaze was sharp like a hook.

"Your self-righteous idealization is a sickness, Jun family boy."

"Let’s not even talk about whether killing a few ghosts in hell amidst the chaos counts as taking advantage of the turmoil. Just look at others—no historical records say the 'King of Ghost-Slaying' is Jun Yuanshan."

"Does the head of the Ghost-Slaying Department at Xiang University know? He killed three thousand six hundred."

"How about the Director of the Execution Department in the Spiritualist Division at Imperial University? He went blind sealing the Reincarnation Pool, what did anyone say about that?"

"As for your family, you haven’t done much, but you make the most noise, acting like your family alone created the world of ghost-slaying, right?"

"Small-minded and now you’re angry, resenting others for their generosity. I’ve lived this long and this is the first time I’ve heard such reasoning."

Mingyue was anxious. "Brother!" Stop provoking him! Jun Yuanshan wasn’t that disgraceful!

Ming Ye glanced at her. "Shut up and just drink your soup."

Jun Weiran snapped, "Nonsense!"

"Going to ask the Li family for the wish talisman was my father’s idea!"

"The wish talisman was the key to restoring order in the underworld! I know!"Ming Ye said coolly, "Quite something, not just an empty shot."

"So what? The wish talisman nearly ruined the relationship between the Ming and Li families, don't you know?"

"Now that you've succeeded, you think it's all your own achievement? If the wish talisman hadn't worked wonders back then, would your father still have written a long-winded entry in the diary, claiming that the falling out between the Li families and himself had nothing to do with him?"

Jun Weiran's face turned red with anger. "You’re talking nonsense!"

Ming Ye blocked Mingyue, who was about to interrupt, ready to step in for the elders and properly deal with Jun Weiran today.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm talking nonsense or not."

"What I know is that it was Ming Dinghai who took the pressure to borrow the wish talisman."

"The backlash from the talisman was something the Ming family had to bear. The Jun family had nothing to do with it."

At this point, Mingyue stopped too.

Ming Ye was right.

She could endure Jun Weiran throwing tantrums over other things, but when it came to the fact that the Ming family’s father and brothers died because of the wish talisman, she wasn’t going to help the Jun family even a bit.

Jun Weiran was still unconvinced. "What do you know?"

"A good idea is half of success. The internal chaos was resolved so quickly, it's clear the wish talisman had immense power."

"Why can’t my father have his name in history?"

Was it resolved quickly?

It wasn’t resolved quickly at all.

Even a few years ago, Ming Ye specially went to the Li family in the capital to seek help, afraid that if he failed to manage the Reincarnation Pool, he would lose his life and Mingyue would be left without anyone to care for her.

These were all the lingering consequences of the internal turmoil in the underworld, lasting for twenty years.

Ming Ye slowly pulled a chopstick from the holder.

"Jun Weiran, do you think the internal chaos in the underworld was just some farce?"

"Once the wish talisman came out, everything was resolved?"Jun Weiran didn't speak.

But his expression spoke clearly.

"Ridiculous."

"No wonder the Jun family distanced themselves from Ming Dinghai back then, running away faster than rabbits."

"They've always thought that being involved with the so-called 'good guy' Ming Dinghai and getting dragged into the underworld’s troubles was far too dangerous."

"Later, Ming Dinghai made three wishes with the wish talisman, fought for three years, saved the Reincarnation Pool, and smuggled King Yan to do things, but your father didn't even mention a word of it in his diary."

"Remarkable, truly remarkable. To hold onto such broken remnants to this extent and not die from lack of virtue—it's rare."

Jun Weiran was stunned, too angry to speak: "What? What smuggling, what?"

Ming Ye crossed his arms, remained silent, and sized up Jun Weiran, then smiled: "Jun Yuanshan was so petty and narrow-minded, it's no surprise he died young."

This was too harsh.

Jun Weiran slapped the table, furious, but Mingyue, as if possessed by the God of War, slapped Jun Weiran back into his seat. Then, she glared at her brother: "Brother! What are you saying!"

Ming Ye raised his hands, "Fine, fine."

Jun Weiran, unable to compete in a physical struggle with Ming Ye, was pressed into his seat, unable to get up, his face turning red, looking both adorable and pitiful. "Let go," he gritted his teeth.

Mingyue clearly refused: "I won't."

"My brother is just an ordinary person, stop bullying him."

"...."

The ordinary person Ming Ye touched his nose, sitting firmly like a mountain.

Jun Weiran didn't give up, glaring at Ming Ye, tears welling up in his eyes.

"What do you know? What do you all know?"

"Back then, how many people knew the truth? Now they're scattered across the world, and none of them can testify!"

"My father said that the most he could do was deal with the vengeful spirits! There’s no evidence, unless you can bring me the Book of Life and Death!"

"You say Ming Dinghai smuggled King Yan? King Yan is in the underworld, so of course, you're free to say whatever nonsense you want!"Ming Ye: "......"

Ming Yue: "......"

Ming Yue awkwardly glanced at her brother.

Ming Ye looked back expressionlessly: "Yue Liang, you saw it, I have nothing more to say."

Ming Yue didn't know why her face was flushing, inwardly cursing, "King Yan isn't embarrassed, why should you be embarrassed?" At the same time, she stuttered to smooth things over: "Both handsome guys, don't get so angry..."

"Drink... drink some vermicelli soup first."